Press-Release №32

 Questions with no answers

How to save children from cancer?

            According to experts of the Ministry of Health of the Chechen Republic, over the last years the number of children with oncological diseases has abruptly increased in the republic. Only last year 202 children, suffering illnesses of oncological character were registered in public health facilities of the republic. Comparing with the last year, the number of the revealed children with cancer has increased at least for 20-25 percent.

            According to physicians, the number of children with oncological diseases is gradually increasing. Most of the cases are registered in Grozny city, Grozny rural, Shalinski and Urus-Martanovski districts. Only in 2007 in the Chechen Republic 57 children died from cancer.

            Despite of such a serious situation, there is still no pediatric specialized institution in the republic and even no children's oncologist. Sick children are to be taken for treatment out of the republic, basically, to Moscow, Rostov and Makhachkala. Naturally, such trips require from parents large expenses, as they have to pay for travel as well as for treatment, which, as a rule, consists of several stages. Only last year about 100 children from the Chechen Republic were sent for non-resident treatment.

            According to one of the workers of the Ministry of Health of the republic, nearby 80 % of Chechen patients with cancer die. The most widespread type of the oncological diseases of children living in the Chechen Republic, according to the interlocutor, is acute leukemia. Means allocated by the federal center for treatment are short of. Meanwhile, not all parents can afford themselves to pay treatment of their sick children in specialized institutions outside of the republic.

            Many people are inclined to connect the high level of the disease and children's death rate in the Chechen Republic with consequences of military activities. Operations, which proceeded here in the course of several years, constant bombardments, air strikes as well as artillery strikes have negative impact on mental health of the people. Stress situations, which last for years, sooner or later should be revealed in this or that kind. And today, as most of the people believe, it is reflected on the children.

            It is necessary to note that the children’s death rate in the Chechen Republic was the highest in days of the USSR. It was explained by bad ecology, availability of many harmful manufactures, concentrated within Grozny city (oil refining and chemical factories and etc). Now, when the economy of republic is completely destroyed by two wars, when there are no large enterprises of oil-and-gas industry functioning in the republic, the children's death rate is influenced on with other factors. Experts - physicians are convinced that one of the main reasons of acute growth of oncological diseases in the republic (both among children and adults) is related, first of all, to aggressive oil extracting and adverse ecological background.

            According to the official data, annually from different types of oncological illnesses in the republic about thousand people die. The actual figure can be higher. Thus, physicians note that every year the number of sick people in the republic increases for two and a half - three thousand persons.

            According to one of the workers of the Ministry of Health, morbidity of cancer in the Chechen Republic is twofold higher than in the other regions of Russia. In his opinion, the total number of cancer patients today makes about 30 thousand persons.

            The situation with ongoing increase of oncological diseases both among children and adults in the Chechen Republic is extremely critical and requires not only emergency measures, but also establishing and realization of the large-scale federal program against this illness. Otherwise, it will not be possible to stop dissemination of oncological illnesses in the republic.

6 June  2008

Information Center for CNO 

The press-release  is prepared and issued with support of Human Rights and Governance Grants Program at the OSI-Budapest.  The Institute is not responsible for the activity of the Information Center for CNO and material published on the organization’s website